I think for traditional Sageuk fans - this story may not be what they are expecting. Yes - the political elements were a key part of the story - but they were not the main part. This shows strength comes from diving deeply into the absolutely batsh!t things mothers will do for their children. Or what they ‘think’ is ‘best’ for their children.

We get to see this play out in multiple ways throughout the drama - because this show covers the many consorts of the King. This part is usually glossed over or romantized in most historical dramas. In UTQU, it is at the forefront, as each mother is putting her child in the running for being the next King.I cannot emphasize how important these depictions of different kinds of mothers - the good, bad and ugly - was to me. I felt for each and every character - even those I hated - in this show. It will stay with me for a very long time, and I really would recommend it.

Firstly, we have Kim Hye-soo who excellently portrays Queen Im Hwa-ryeong, a dedicated, loving, and absolutely spitfire of a Mother. In the beginning, her goal is to turn her four unabashedly troublesome sons - the Grand Princes - into dutiful, filial children. Her eldest son - the Crown Prince - is for all purposes perfect - studious, produced an heir, and heavily involved in Royal politics. Queen Im Hwa-ryeong has her hands full of very boisterous and mischievous sons - but I love each of them, and so does she. She went to desperate ends to protect each of those boys, her biological sons and their half-brothers as well. On top of that, she also truly wants to help them live as happily and authentically themselves as possible. She did this without sacrificing a shred of her morals either! However, the misbehaviour of her sons, is pulling the attention from the Queen Dowager - played by the absolute legend Kim Hae-sook - and not the good kind of attention. The conflict between these two mothers - the mother of the current King, and the mother of the future King, is the strong undercurrent of the show.

I think the best part of Queen In Hwa-ryeong's methods - in comparison to the other mothers on the show - is that she did not resort to backhanded tactics. Yes, she uses information and she manipulates situations, but never does she resort to harm. In fact, she spends a lot of her energy trying to find a solution that benefits the most number of people. This is in stark comparison to the Queen Dowager - Kim Hae-sook is a veteran actress, and she’s excellent in everything. Her portrayal of the Queen Dowager was so devilishly wicked. She used others - even her own son and grandchildren - to get what she wanted. She was the definition of a manipulative witch, caring only for her own wants.

I cannot talk in detail about the boys - the sons of the king - without giving major spoilers. Their individual narratives were fullfilling and heartfelt. My personal favourite was Prince Seongnam (Moon Sang-min) - for obvious reasons - I love a stoic boy with a hidden warm heart (a tsundere, if you will). He also does have the most involvement with the plot.

I liked Grand Prince Muan (Yoon Sang-hyun) and Grand Prince Gyeseong (Yoo Seon-ho) getting properly developed storylines as well, although I didn’t find them as grounded in the setting of the story as the rest of the brothers. I could see the intention - but I doubt that their stories could happen in history as happily.

I felt bad for the remaining Princes - especially Prince Bogum (Kim Min-gi) and Prince Simso (Moon Seong-hyun) - they definitely had the worst luck. How their respective mothers approached them and their upbringing was so interesting to me - they both cared so deeply about their children, but it showed up in the most misguided ways. What an excellent narrative choice as a comparison point for our MVP mother Queen Hwa-ryeong herself.


10/10 would recommend.